NHL Best Bets: Senators vs. Stars Game Picks

The Ottawa Senators and Dallas Stars will be looking for a little more consistency tonight when they face off in this matchup at the American Airlines Center.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Ottawa Senators (+162) vs. Dallas Stars (-196) Total: 6.5 (O-118, U-104)

Even though these teams are playing at a similar rate of late, the Dallas Stars have much more to like due to where they sit in the standings. Over their past ten games, the Sens have posted a 5-5 record, while the Stars are 5-2-3 over that same sample size. The Stars still sit comfortably in second place in the Central division, while the Senators have underachieved after a busy offseason. There really just hasn’t been a ton to like about how the Sens have operated this season, and with a matchup pending against the Stars this evening on the road, it’s hard to see those trends coming to an end. Dallas has posted a 7-3-3 home record, while Ottawa sits at 4-6-1 on the road. 

Earlier this season, the Sens actually doubled up the Stars, 4-2 at home. That result gives them some potential to have value in this matchup tonight. In saying that, the Sens haven’t given us enough consistency to know what you’re going to get out of them on a regular basis. They still have issues on the backend and in goal, leading to holes on this team that just can’t be plugged at the moment. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Senators should turn to Anton Forsberg, while the Stars should continue riding Jake Oettinger. The Sens netminder has posted a 5-7-1 record, paired with a .910 save percentage, while Oettinger is 9-3-3 with a .916 save percentage. The Stars should ultimately have the edge in goal—just another reason to like them tonight. 

Dallas is coming off a loss where they played much better than their box score indicated, so don’t be surprised if they take that out on the Sens tonight. As a result, there’s value here in looking at the Stars winning by multiple goals, which is priced at a great number of +120. 

Best Bet: Stars puck line -1.5 (+120) 

What’s interesting about this Stars team is that they can play a variety of different ways. They currently have scored at the third-highest clip in the NHL while also sitting eighth in goals allowed per game. Playing against a Sens team that now sits in the bottom half of the league in both categories, the Stars should be able to dictate how this game ultimately plays out tonight. There’s definitely some value in looking toward the total, which is currently set at 6.5. Four of the past five Stars games have seen six or fewer goals scored, meaning it’s hard to ignore the -104 odds on the under. 

Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-104) 

With the Stars scoring at a high clip this season, one of the biggest reasons for that has been the stardom Jason Robertson has provided. The sniping winger saw his 18-game point streak snapped against the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this week, but there’s value in looking for him to bounce back tonight against Ottawa. Robertson has already recorded an astounding 23 goals and 18 assists in 26 games, leading to his point totals being in the upper echelon of the NHL. The Stars forward is currently listed at +104 to score, and there’s value in that price that warrants consideration. 

Best Prop: Jason Robertson to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+104)